City of Rochester
News Release
Awareness Campaign Kicks off in June
(Wednesday, May 29, 2019) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren and the Rochester City Council have proclaimed Friday June 7 as Gun Violence Awareness Day as part of national movement to honor a Chicago teenager named Hadiya Pendleton who was killed within weeks of marching in President Obama’s second inaugural parade.
“On Friday June 7th, citizens are asked to Wear Orange, the protective color hunters wear, symbolizing the value of human life, an idea inspired by Hadiya’s classmates. Rochester’s skyline will also be lit orange on June 7th and June 8th to further demonstrate the entire city’s commitment to ending gun violence,” the joint Mayor-City Council Proclamation states.
During the month of June, the ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition (RAGVC) will host a series of gun violence awareness events and run a paid public service advertising campaign sponsored by the Rochester Police Department using the slogan: “A shot from a gun, can’t be undone.”
The City Hall portico, Rundel Memorial Library, the Public Market B Shed and many Downtown buildings will be lit orange that weekend as part of the Wear Orange component of National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
The national event is sponsored by Everytown for Gun Safety and falls on the first Friday of June each year, near the June 2 birthday of Hadiya Pendleton.
Mayor Warren and Council Vice President Willie J. Lightfoot, chair of the RAGVC, read the Proclamation at a news conference attended by members of the RAGVC along with District Attorney Sandra Doorley, Police Chief La’Ron Singletary and Monroe County Undersheriff Korey Brown, who are partners in the N.Y. State Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) Initiative.
To learn more about the RAGVC visit, cityofrochester.gov/thinkaboutit/.
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News Media: For more information, contact Press Officer Jessica Alaimo at 428-7135.